WHQDQWV· handbook This handbook tells you how to make the best of your home and explains what you are and are not allowed to do as our tenant. It also tells you what our duties are as your landlord and provides other information that we hope you will find useful. Lambeth and Southwark Housing Association Limited 7a St Agnes Place, Kennington, London SE11 4AU We are open Monday - Friday 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-5pm Tel: 020 7735 3935 Email: [email protected] Text Service: 07826 826823 Website: www.lsha.org.uk LAMBETH & SOUTHWARK HOUSING ASSOCIATION ii Lambeth & Southwark Housing Association Welcome Welcome to LSHA’s tenant handbook. This is your guide to our services. It includes information that explains your tenancy agreement. Inside we have set out, in clear sections, what you can expect of us and what we expect of you. We hope this will help you make the most of your tenancy with us and that you enjoy your new home. This handbook also includes contact details, plus important information on repairs. If you need to talk to us, please get in touch. Our phone numbers and full address are shown on the left. You can also contact us through our website at www.lsha.org.uk through MyTenancy or by email [email protected] and also by texting us on 07826 826823 I hope you enjoy living in your home. Mark Jackson Chief Executive TENANTS’ HANDBOOK iii Contents Lambeth & Southwark Housing Association Who are we? 1 Your Tenancy Agreement Can you succeed to an assured tenancy? 2 Can you assign an assured tenancy? 2 Do assured tenants have the Right to Buy? 3 How do you end your tenancy? 3 Making Yourself at Home A few tips to make moving into a LSHA home a little easier 4 Help is at hand 4 Getting connected 4 Satellite and internet services 4 The water supply 4 Electrics - fuses and circuit breakers 5 Heating and hot water 5 Council tax 5 Your Rent and Service Charges How your rent is used 6 How is the amount of rent decided? 6 When and why does the rent go up? 6 Renting a garage or shed 6 Service charges 7 How do I pay? 7 Ways to pay your rent 7 Can I get help to pay my rent? 8 How can I check where I am with my rent? 8 Debt advice 9 Our Commitments to You When we contact you 10 When you contact us 10 When we visit your home 10 Equality and Diversity Equality and diversity 11 Reporting a Repair How to report a repair 12 Emergency repairs - outside offi ce hours 13 Out of hours emergencies 13 LAMBETH & SOUTHWARK HOUSING ASSOCIATION iv Contents Repairs and Maintenance Responsibilities Who is responsible? 14 Repairs priorities 17 Pest control 18 Our contractors’ services 18 Checking that work is done properly 18 Tenants home improvements 19 Compensation 19 Complaints 19 Right to repair 20 Insurance 20 Decorating your property 20 Gardens 21 Damage to property and re-charge 21 Major repairs 22 Satisfaction 22 Adapting your home for a disability 22 Things to check when you move in 23 What is condensation? 23 Other causes of damp 23 How to reduce condensation 23 Treating mould 24 Gas Safety What you need to know about gas appliances in your home 25 Our responsibility to service your gas appliances every year 25 How we do the service 25 Making an appointment 26 The gas service 26 Your responsibility to allow us to carry out the service 26 What we will do if you don’t let us in to do the service 26 What you can do if we don’t service your gas appliance 27 What to do if you smell gas 27 National Gas Emergency Service 27 Fire and Electrical Safety Fire prevention 28 The importance of smoke detectors 28 What to do if there is a fi re in your home 29 Electrical safety 29 What to do about electrical faults 29 TENANTS’ HANDBOOK v Contents Security Keeping your home secure 30 What to do if you are broken into 30 Communal Areas Keeping your communal areas clean and safe 31 Energy Saving Tips Careful in the kitchen 32 Heating 32 Where to get free home energy saving advice 32 Transfers, Exchanges & Right to Acquire Requesting a transfer 33 Mutual Exchange – swapping homes with another tenant 33 Are you eligible to exchange? 33 Right to Acquire 34 Subletting & Lodgers Subletting/taking a lodger 35 Anti-Social Behaviour Tackling anti-social behaviour 36 What is not anti-social behaviour? 36 What can LSHA can do? 37 How do I report an incident of anti-social behaviour? 38 What should you expect to happen? 38 When will my case be closed? 38 Consulting & involving you in our work Consulting you over changes 39 Tenants’ newsletter 39 Complaints Initial action to resolve a problem 40 Stage 1 41 Stage 2 41 Stage 3 42 Stage 4 42 Stage 5 42 Getting independent help or advice 43 Rehousing Relationship breakdown 44 Rehousing grown-up children 44 Useful Contact Numbers 45 LAMBETH & SOUTHWARK HOUSING ASSOCIATION vi Lambeth & Southwark Housing Association Who are we? We are a housing association, providing aff ordable homes and services in the South London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. We are proud of our heritage which goes back over 90 years. Currently we have over 300 homes ranging in size from single people’s fl ats to large family houses, and we manage women-only accommodation and almshouse properties. We are a community-based association with a proud heritage of over 90 years serving and working with diverse populations in South London. People are referred to us for housing by the local authorities and by organisations for those in housing need. Lambeth & Southwark Housing Association provide a small number of homes for those with disabilities, and by making adaptations aim to let people remain in their homes as their circumstances change. We are a non-profi t making association, and surpluses are ploughed back into providing future homes. We do not operate our own waiting list and people are referred to us for housing by our local authority partners. We are managed by a voluntary board of management and our activities are carried out by paid staff . TENANTS’ HANDBOOK 1 Your Tenancy Agreement This handbook should be read along with your tenancy agreement. • Your tenancy agreement, which you have now signed, is an important legal document. It is the contract between LSHA as your landlord and yourself as tenant or joint tenant. • A joint tenancy means that all named tenants are equally responsible for the property and share the rights and responsibilities. • You should keep your tenancy agreement in a safe place. If you lose it, please let us know and we can issue a copy. • The tenancy agreement sets out your rights and responsibilities as a tenant and the rights and responsibilities of LSHA as your landlord. • With a few limited exceptions your tenancy with LSHA will be an Assured Tenancy. An assured tenancy gives you the right to live in your home for as long as you require it and as long as you keep to the terms of your agreement. • The tenancy can only be ended by LSHA if one or more of the conditions shown in the tenancy agreement are broken, or if you no longer live in the property as your only or principal home. Can you succeed to an assured tenancy? If a tenant dies and there has not been a succession then a member of the tenant’s family living in the property may qualify to take over the tenancy. There are a number of conditions to be met so please discuss any such situation with your Housing Offi cer who will be able to clarify your position. Can you assign an assured tenancy? This is when a tenant hands their tenancy (usually by legal deed) to someone else. This is not allowed by law except under certain circumstances, for example you can assign a property by way of mutual exchange; or if a Court has decided that a tenancy has to go from one spouse to another as part of divorce proceedings. Again you should discuss any such situation with your Housing Offi cer who will be able to advise you. LAMBETH & SOUTHWARK HOUSING ASSOCIATION 2 Your Tenancy Agreement Do assured tenants have the Right to Buy? • No, having an assured tenancy means that you do not have the Right to Buy unless this is a protected right if your home transferred to LSHA from the Council as part of a stock transfer. • Assured tenants may, however, qualify for the Right to Acquire. This is very similar to the Right to Buy, however it is dependent on a range of diff erent factors. Contact your Housing Offi cer if you are interested in buying your home and they will be able to advise you on whether you qualify and what you have to do. How do you end your tenancy? • When you leave your home you must tell us in writing, at least four weeks before you go. A letter with your current address, your forwarding address and the date you are moving will be suffi cient. • We want to re-let your home as quickly as possible after you go, so we might need to bring possible new tenants to look around during those four weeks. • You must make sure that your rent is paid up to date and that the property is clean and tidy and any damages made good.